Staff Writer
Taylor Swift’s country roots were apparent with a special performance of her song “Red” at the 2013 Country Music Awards, with seasoned country legends Vince Gill, Alison Krauss, Sam Bush, Edgar Meyer, and Eric Carken singing backup.
The acoustic rendition of the title track of Swift’s fourth studio album, Red, was notably more understated than the album version; which featured a more crossover country-pop sound. The performance ended with a standing ovation from the crowd.
Swift previously said “I wanted to reimagine the song, ‘Red.’ I wanted people to hear it in a different way, and I thought, ‘I’m going to need to bring some really visionary artists onstage with me in order to completely make this a unique sound.’ And I couldn’t think of better musicians than the ones who are going to be up there with me.”
Swift won two awards for Musical Event of the Year and Music Award of the Year for “Highway Don’t Care,” a collaboration with Tim McGraw and Keith Urban. She also took the prestigious Pinnacle Award, previously only awarded to Garth Brooks. The award honors a musician for outstanding accomplishments and for having an impact on the country music industry.
Swift’s Red debuted at number one at the Billboard 200 Chart and sold over 6 million copies worldwide.
Author
